Fears are expected to spread in the coming days as California and the region expect temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above average early next week, with forecast highs reaching 100 degrees in parts of the state, a CNN meteorologist said. Taylor Ward.
Alan Aguilera and his family decided to evacuate Laguna Nigel on Wednesday when they saw the range of flames from an observation point in the neighborhood, he told CNN.
“When we reached the top, we saw the full extent of how big the fire was and witnessed how fast it spread,” he said. “There were tons of people in the area doing the same thing, watching the fire before the winds changed and started pushing the flames closer and closer. At this point, we decided to leave and go to prepare for a potential evacuation.
“The situation was incredibly tense, but we kept our cool, gathered our most valuable belongings … and made an early evacuation to avoid any potential difficulties if the worst-case scenario developed,” he added.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated, although investigators say the “chain activity” took place “close to the time” when it was reported, Edison said in Southern California in an initial report of the incident released Wednesday. The company did not provide further details about the chain’s activities, and firefighters did not comment or confirm details during a news conference Thursday.
Two firefighters have been treated at a hospital as about 550 firefighters are working to contain the blaze, said Orange County Fire Chief and incident commander Shane Sherwood.
The sudden fire surprised the authorities
The speed and intensity of the coastal fire shocked officials and scientists, who said there was no high risk of fire on Wednesday. While the winds that helped ignite the fire reached 30 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service, gusts from the Pacific Ocean were cool and humid.
“The humidity was high, which is not necessarily optimal for this type of burn,” said Greg Martin, a meteorologist at the San Diego Meteorological Service’s office, on Thursday. “I was really surprised when I saw the stream of smoke last night during my trip and wondered what was burning.
“I wouldn’t think this was an ideal situation, but we still had a significant fire,” he said.
Although winds are not typical of high fire risk, the region is suffering from a prolonged intense drought, says the US Drought Monitor. Dry shrubs and vegetation will increasingly fuel fires like Orange County, said the county’s fire chief.
“The fuel layers in this county, all over Southern California, all over the West are so dry that a fire like this will be more common,” said Brian Fenesi.
“We are seeing a spread in ways we have not had before,” he said. “Five years ago, 10 years ago, a fire like this could have grown to a decare, a few acres,” before firefighters could control it. But now “the fire is spreading in this very dry vegetation and taking off.”
Residents of the Laguna Nigel neighborhoods were subject to mandatory evacuation orders on Wednesday and Thursday, as city officials declared a state of emergency to gain quick access to resources.
The West is facing a new climate reality
The coastal fire comes as the West suffers from a perennial drought that is not expected to subside in the coming months, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s spring forecast. Experts are concerned about how many early fires are breaking out this year in California, where fire seasons have historically peaked in late summer. In January, more than 600 acres of Monterey County in the state were burned by a fire in Colorado.
“It’s a result of climate change, it’s a result of the drought we’re watching,” Isaac Sanchez, head of communications for the Cal Fire Battalion, told CNN. “The coastal fire is a clear example that you don’t need thousands of burned acres to affect you.”
“It’s too early” for a fire like the Southern California Coast Fire, said Bill South, a meteorologist with the Hanford National Weather Service. “This has the potential to be a very bad fire season. And as everyone knows, we’re here in a drought all over California.”
Last week alone, extreme drought spread from 40 percent to 60 percent of the state, the U.S. Drought Monitor said Thursday, with January-April being the driest first four months of the year in history. Extreme drought conditions affecting the West are the worst in centuries, a recent study found. Researchers have found that the period from 2000 to 2021 is the driest of 1,200 years.
Rachel Ramirez, Angela Fritz, Chad Myers, Ella Nilsson, Stephanie Elam, Christina Maxuris, Aya Elamrusi, Sarah Moon and CNN’s Eric Levenson contributed to this report.
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